When Addie sought marriage, she wanted someone who would break through her loneliness. Although her son Cash interrupts her solitude, just as Anse did in the past, after her second pregnancy and the birth of Darl, Addie regards Anse as "dead." His "death" is symbolized by his preference for words over actions. Anse does not work; instead, his family and neighbors toil to support him. As Darl points out, he has never seen any sweat marks on Anse's shirts. Vernon Tull, who observes, "Like most folks around here, I done holp [sic] him so much already I cant [sic] quit now," reinforces this view.